Upper Kirby's Pondicheri is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, offering casual counter service during the day and upscale table service by night. It even offers classic Indian takeaway, albeit with a modern, Gulf Coast twist on traditional Indian food. Chef and owner Anita Jaisinghani has crafted a clever restaurant that takes all comers while still creating some of the most breathtakingly interesting and soulful Indian food anywhere, like her Texas shrimp chaat with corn and avocado, paneer-stuffed chicken legs or oatmeal choco-late-chile cookies. Before you leave, be sure to venture upstairs to their new bakery, Pondicheri Bake Lab + Shop, for some delightful baked goods to go.

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